Early last week, general manager Danny Millan said the chef was taking a couple weeks off to contemplate whether he wanted to return to Le Foret’s kitchen or move to California to teach. On Friday, www.bestofneworleans.com reported that Corwell had been fired.

“It was a sudden kind of thing, and really now I’m just trying to regroup and figure out what’s next,” Corwell told Ian McNulty.

Today, Millan said Corwell had in fact been gone from the restaurant for nearly two weeks.

“We were trying to set up something with him,” Millan said of Corwell, “but things didn’t work very well between him and I.” Millan indicated he and Corwell had differing attitudes about the chef’s role in the dining room.

“He’s a great chef. I will really miss him,” Millan said, “but I really need someone to talk to my guests.”

Corwell was an unknown entity in New Orleans when he arrived from Palm Springs, Calif., to help launch Le Foret. He established himself quickly with refined, technique-driven food that turned heads in the elegant, three-story restaurant.

Millan said two members of Corwell’s kitchen staff, Edward Arevalo and Mimi Assab, will share executive chef responsibilities moving forward.